I was born in Poonch (Kashmir) and now I live in Norway. I oppose war and violence and am a firm believer in the peaceful co-existence of all nations and peoples. In my academic work I have tried to espouse the cause of the weak and the oppressed in a world dominated by power politics, misleading propaganda and violations of basic human rights. I also believe that all conscious members of society have a moral duty to stand for and further the cause of peace and human rights throughout the world.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Afghanistan government accuses US special forces of civilian death and torture

Hamid Karzai orders US elite force to leave Maidan Wardak province after local reports of disappearance of nine people

US special forces in Afghanistan. Hamid Karzai’s government has
ordered the elite force to leave Maidan Wardak province over claims of
killing or torture of disappeared civilians. Photograph: David Bathgate/
David Bathgate/Corbis

The Afghan government has ordered US special forces to leave one of Afghanistan‘s
most restive provinces, Maidan Wardak, after receiving reports from
local officials claiming that the elite units had been involved in the
torture and disappearance of Afghan civilians.

US military officials have rejected the allegations but President Hamid Karzai,
who convened a meeting of the Afghan national security council on
Sunday, appears to believe the evidence was strong enough to demand US
special forces leave Maidan Wardak within two weeks.

Security in the province bordering Kabul has deteriorated over the
past year, and it has become a focus of US-led efforts to stop
insurgents reaching the capital. The decision could have implications
for relations with Washington and for US plans to maintain a
counter-terrorist force in Afghanistan after Nato combat troops leave in 2014.